GAC UPDATE ISSUE 38 - JUNE 2014By Vivienne Sandercock1. Message from the Editor 2. Air Safety Regulators want better plane-tracking kit installed sooner 3. Africa's 2014's Hazards, Incidents, Accidents and Safety Occurrences 4. Emergency Response Planning 5. Henley Global Safety and Quality Training 6. IATA AGM 2013 - Aviation Safety Tops Agenda 7. Two near mid-air collisions in two days in the US 8. News from the Johannesburg Airports 9. Commercial Airport and Airline news 10. SAAFA Race Day at Turffontein 11. Finale 1. MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Do you realy know where your aircraft actually are? With all of the technical innovations in aircraft tracking such as Indigo Sat and Spidertracks it seems to be odd that there are occasions when the owner and/or operator of an aircraft does not know where a particular aircraft is at any given time. In South Africa flight following is legislated in Part 135 and Part 121 but still if you ask the question where is AB-CDE; it is entirely possible that persons on duty do not know! You can have the most up to date technology but if the screens are not switched on or the Flight Follower is not watching his/her computer screen then the Flight Follower will not be able to answer your question. So my message this month is please ensure that your Flight Followers actually carry out their duties diligently and if you walk into an office and the tracking screen is blank do not assume nothing is flying or that there is a power cut - do something about it. Vivienne 2. AIR SAFETY REGULATORS WANT BETTER PLANE-TRACKING KIT INSTALLED SOONER European aviation safety regulators want to hasten the introduction of improved "black boxes" on commercial airliners after the fruitless search so far for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has highlighted shortcomings with the existing technology. The mandatory operational life of beacons attached to flight-data recorders should be extended to 90 days from 30 days two years earlier than initially planned, the Cologne-based European Aviation Safety Agency said today. Airplanes traversing oceans should also carry beacons with greater range, EASA said. "The proposed changes are expected to increase safety by facilitating the recovery of information by safety investigation authorities," EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky said. "The tragic flight of Malaysia Airlines MH370 demonstrates that safety can never be taken for granted." Authorities have been searching without success for the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing BA -0.86% 777-200ER that vanished en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8 with 239 people on board. Lapses in coordination among countries and companies trying to find the plane have repeatedly hobbled the two-month-old search. The flight-data recorders that store information vital to crash investigations come with beacons designed to aid search teams trying to locate the devices. In its latest opinion, which is not yet a binding requirement for the industry, EASA said it wants aircraft to feature beacons with a 90-day minimum transmission to give search teams more time to recover the devices. The technology should be introduced by 2018 rather than by 2020 as previously planned. The beacons on the Malaysia Airlines flight had a 30-day transmission life so search teams had only a few days to locate the short-range signal after delays in narrowing the area where the plane is suspected to have crashed. EASA also wants airliners flying more than 180 nautical miles over water to have an additional beacon transmitting at a different frequency with greater detection range from 2019. An alternative is to equip the aircraft with other technology to pinpoint the location of a crash site to within 6 nautical miles, the agency said. The regulator also is requiring that cockpit voice recorders be upgraded to store 20 hours of conversation, rather than just two hours as is currently the case. EASA had already proposed an increase to 15 hours, but has extended the storage requirement to capture the entire duration of long-range flights. It is giving industry an extra year to comply with the stricter standard that should now lead to the installation of such recorders on planes from 2020. 3. AFRICA'S 2014 HAZARDS, INCIDENTS, ACCIDENTS AND SAFETY OCCURENCES ACCIDENTS INVOLVING FIXED WING AIRCRAFT IN AFRICA DURING 2014 DATE A/C TYPE FATAL ITIES LOCATION 04 Jan Ran s-ses coyote II 1 Breede River between Cape Infanta and Swellendam, WC, RSA 14 Jan FA52 SAB 2 Nr Kabanje, Bwiketo Village, Zambia 20 Jan Antonov 28 0 On the approach into Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 24 Jan Jonker JS-1C Revelation 1 Tempe Airport, Bloemfontein, RSA 28 Jan KR2 (Homebuilt) 1 Wonderboom Airport, Pretoria, RSA 29 Jan Giles G-202 1 Alexandria, EC, RSA 03 Feb Beechcraft C90GTi 3 Lanseria International Airport, RSA 06 Feb PA25 0 Field adjacent to Parys Aerodrome, Free State, RSA 11 Feb C130 Hercules 77 Ouled Gacem, Oum El Bouaghi Province, 500 km east of Algiers, Algeria. 13 Feb Baron 58 0 Lanseria International Airport, RSA 15 Feb Aeros 2 1 Heidelberg, RSA 16 Feb Cessna 182 Tug Plane 1 Orient Hills, Magaliesburg, GP, RSA 17 Feb BAe-748-371 1 Bentiu, South Sudan 21 Feb Antonov 26 11 20 miles from Tunis-Carthage Airport, Tunisia 08 Mar TBA 1 75km from Ondongwa Airport, Etosha National Park, Namibia 11 Mar Tetras 2 Antananarivo, Madagascar 15 Mar Ravin 500 3 Camperdown, Kwazulu Natal, RSA 27 Mar Legacy 0 Spier Wine Estate, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, RSA 15 Apr TBA 1 Farm near Melkbosstrand, Cape Town, RSA 22 Apr Piper PA-46 2 20 km South of Niekerkshoop NC, RSA 26 Apr Challenger 0 Lanseria, RSA 19 May TBA 2 York Farm Area, Lusaka West, Zambia Source, amongst others, PlaneCrash info.com; News24, Aviation Herald, Flight Safety Information ACCIDENTS INVOLVING ROTOR WING AIRCRAFT IN AFRICA DURING 2014 DATE A/C TYPE FATAL ITIES LOCATION 07 Jan Eurocopter AS 350 (Squirrel) 0 Grand Central Airport, GP, RSA 12 Jan RH44 1 Nr Gwanda Town, Zimbabwe 27 Feb RH22 0 Virginia Airport, KZ, RSA 09 Mar MI24 0 Nr Zarzaitine Airport, In Ameras, Algeria 10 Mar RH22 0 Northern Cape, RSA 15 Mar Ravin 500 3 Close to Emoyeni Lodge private airfield in a sugar cane field, KZN, RSA 27 Mar RH22 0 Freeway private airstrip, NE of Wonderboom Aerodrome, GP, RSA 11 Apr Military TBA 3 Grootfontein, Namibia 13 Apr Bell 412 0 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania HAZARDS & INCIDENTS INVOLVING FIXED WING AIRCRAFT DURING MAY 2014 HAZ INC DATE A/C TYPE LOCATION FATAL ITIES CIRCUMSTANCES OP TYPE INC 02 May C172 Rand Airport, GP, RSA (FAGM) 0 Radio failure - a/c landed safely TRNG INC 02 May C172 Rand Airport, GP, RSA (FAGM) 0 Radio failure - a/c landed safely (different a/c from above) TRNG INC 03 May C172 Rand Airport, GP, RSA (FAGM) 0 Radio failure - a/c landed safely (different a/c from above) TRNG INC 07 May B738 On departure from OR Tambo, RSA (FAOR) 0 A/C was climbing runway 03L when the nose gear doors did not close prompting the crew to stop the climb at FL120 and enter a hold to work the related checklists without success. The aircraft dumped fuel and returned to FAOR for a safe landing on runway 03L about 65 minutes after departure COM INC 15 May Starduster Rand Airport, GP, RSA (FAGM) 0 A/C ground looped, minimal damage to a/c and crew were safe. PVT INC 19 May B738 On approach into Accra, Ghana 0 A/C was descending towards Accra when the crew needed to shut an engine (CFM56) down. COM INC 24 May B55 Baron Rand Airport, GP RSA (FAGM) 0 Flat tyre prior to take-off - a/c towed back to hanger PVT INC 25 May PA28-181 Rand Airport, GP, RSA (FAGM) 0 Radio failure - a/c landed safely TRNG INC 25 May C172 Rand Airport, GP, RSA (FAGM) 0 Radio failure - a/c landed safely (different a/c from above) INC 29 May PA28 Arrow Rand Airport, GP, RSA (FAGM) 0 U/C indicator lights did not show 3 greens. A/C landed safely TRNG HAZARDS & INCIDENTS INVOLVING ROTOR WING AIRCRAFT DURING MAY 2014 HAZ INC DATE A/C TYPE LOCATION FATAL ITIES CIRCUMSTANCES OP TYPE NONE AERODROME HAZARDS January Goma, DRC Construction Hazards - Aerodrome being fenced and runway is being rehabilitated January Goma, DRC Unmanned aircraft January Lubumbashi, DRC Construction Hazards - runway and taxiway re-habilitation taking place February Kadugli, Sudan Numerous runway incursions caused by cattle and goats. March O R Tambo, RSA Birds March Cape Town Heliport Birds April West & Central Africa Heavy Rain and tropical storms May Wau, Sudan Eagles 4. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANNING Blake Emergency Services is the International Crisis Management and Contingency Planning Consultancy who, although based in the UK, have serious experience in Africa having handled accidents, incidents, counselling, repatriation, DNA sampling and confirmation, in amongst others Lagos, Nigeria; Fez, Morocco; Pointe Noire, Congo; Moroni, Comores; Maputo, Mozambique. Please go to www.blakeemergency.com If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Blake Emergency Services then p lease do not hesitate to contact Rethea at the address given above. Should you wish to make a booking for any of these courses please contact Candice on 011 024 5446 or by email to candice@gaconsultants.net 09 June CRM - Recurrent Verity Wallace R 950=00 09 June Dangerous Goods Verity Wallace R 750=00 23-24 June Human Factors Dr. Joel Hughes R 2,250=00 30 Jun-01 July Quality Assurance Auditor Course Dan Drew R 2,250=00 CRM - Recurrent Verity Wallace R 950=00 Dangerous Goods Verity Wallace R 750=00 07-08 July Safety Management System Various R 2,250=00 09-11 July Air Safety Officer Course Various R 2,250=00 07-11 July Integrated Safety Management Course Various R 5,500=00 Note: Cost per delegate includes all training materials, refreshments and lunch. Note: Attendees paying in cash on the day are eligible for a 10% discount Note: Both Recurrent CRM and Dangerous Goods Training Courses are available upon request - even at short notice. First Aid and the Law, please contact candice@gaconsultants.net Emergency Response, Incident Response, Operations Control, Emergency Response and Family Assistance training together with the writing of Emergency Response Plans and Procedures training is now offered by Blake Emergency Services. For more information, please contact Rethea on rethea.mitchell@blakeemergency.com 6. IATA AGM 2013 : AVIATION SAFETY TOPS AGENDA The International Air Transport Association has released 2013 commercial aviation safety performance, revealing there were 210 fatalities from commercial aviation accidents in 2013, reduced from 414 in 2012. The 2013 global Western-built jet accident rate (measured in hull losses per million flights of Western-built jets) was 0.41, the equivalent of one accident for every 2.4 million flights. This was a step back from 2012 when the global Western-built jet accident rate stood at 0.21 - the lowest in aviation history. Looked at over the five-year period (2009-2013), 2013 shows a 14.6 per cent improvement on the five-year average of 0.48. The 2013 Western-built jet hull loss rate for members of IATA was 0.30, which outperformed the global average by 26.8 per cent and which showed an improvement over the five-year average of 0.32. Safety is our highest priority. "The aviation industry is united in its commitment to ensure continuous safety improvement. Importantly, that commitment has made flying ever safer. "Accidents, however rare, do happen. "We release this data as the world continues to focus on the search effort for MH370. "The airline industry, its stakeholders and regulators are in the beginning of the journey to unravel this mystery, understand the cause and find ways to ensure that it never happens again," said Tony Tyler, IATA director general. Safety in Numbers More than three billion people flew safely on 36.4 million flights (29.5 million by jet, 6.9 million by turboprop). There were a total of 81 accidents (all aircraft types, Eastern and Western built), up from 75 in 2012, but below the five-year average of 86 per year. Some 16 of these were fatal accidents (all aircraft types), versus 15 in 2012 and the five-year average of 19. A fifth of all accidents were fatal, unchanged from 2012 and below the five-year average of 22 per cent. A total of 12 hull loss accidents involving Western-built jets were recorded, compared to six in 2012 and the five-year average of 13. Six fatal hull loss accidents involving Western-built jets, raised from three in 2012, unchanged from the five-year average. IOSA Airlines on the IATA Operational Safety Audit Registry experienced six Western-built jet hull loss accidents. The total accident rate (all aircraft types) for IOSA-registered carriers was more than two times better than the rate for non-IOSA carriers (1.46 vs. 3.60). Today, 391 airlines are on the IOSA registry. For IATA's 240 airlines, IOSA is a requirement for membership in the association. That some 151 non-member airlines are also on the registry is a clear indication that IOSA is the global benchmark for airline operational safety management. "The overall performance of IOSA airlines shows that the audits are among the factors having a positive impact on safety. "To increase the effectiveness of the IOSA process, we are upgrading to Enhanced IOSA which incorporates systems to monitor compliance across the two-year audit cycle. "This is moving IOSA from a once-every-two-year snapshot to a continuous management process," said Tyler. 7. TWO NEAR MIDAIR COLLISIONS IN TWO DAYS IN THE US The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed this week that on two separate occasions in April, passenger planes nearly collided in mid-air in U.S. airspace. Which is two times too many, as far as they are concerned. The first incident occurred near Newark on April 24. According to the NTSB report, a United flight heading to the airport from San Francisco narrowly passed an outgoing ExpressJet flight heading towards Memphis. There was only about 200 feet laterally, and 400 feet vertically dividing the two planes - far less than the usual minimum two miles between passing flights. The NTSB report indicates that timing mishaps led to the near-accident: An air traffic controller waited for another plane to land on the east-west runway, then cleared the ExpressJet to take off heading north. At that point, the United flight was about three miles away. By the time the ExpressJet flight started its take-off roll, the United flight was about one mile away. As the two planes approached each other, the United flight was ordered by the tower to abort its landing and go back up. The ExpressJet pilot can be heard on radio telling air traffic controllers he was keeping the plane's nose down as he climbed. At one point he tells the tower the United flight came "real close" to him. According to sources, the United pilot was ordered to circle the airport but did not do so, instead opting to land the plane. That flight was carrying 155 passengers and six crew members, and the ExpressJet flight had 47 passengers and three crew members on board. The second incident took place one day later, north of Hawaii. Disturbingly, both those flights were flying at heights assigned them by air traffic control. The incident is still under investigation, but it was clear to those on board that something had gone terribly wrong. In a blog post that brought the event to national attention, passenger Kevin Townsend described what it felt like on board one of the planes, heading from Hawaii to LAX, when it dropped 600 feet in less than a minute. Thirty-three thousand feet up in a cloudless sky, our plane had suddenly pitched into a steep dive. I felt my body float upwards and strain against my seatbelt. Passengers around me screamed. The voice of an audibly flustered flight attendant came over the speaker. "OK. That was obviously unexpected." An understatement. The fasten-seat-belt sign was still off. A moment later, after we'd laughed and settled back into the friendly fiction of air travel as a mundane commute, her voice returned to notify us that "the pilot took evasive action to avoid an aircraft in our flight path. Allegedly United Airlines Flight 1205, which was headed east to Los Angeles from Kona International Airport on the Big Island of Hawaii, had to descend quickly to avoid a westbound US Airways jet, approximately 200 miles northeast of Kona. The United pilots received an audible warning that the plane was in danger from its traffic collision avoidance system, which monitors airspace around a plane. Both planes were Boeing 757s. Had two fully loaded Boeing 757s collided over the Pacific Ocean, it almost certainly would have been the deadliest air disaster in history. It was reported in the media that the event was blamed on errors on the ground - mainly, an air traffic controller working in Honolulu failed to realize that the planes were headed towards a collision. Still, a former head of the NTSB said that the traffic collision avoidance system "gave the appropriate instructions to both pilots," adding that human error was unavoidable but the technology successfully prevented a disaster. "We have seen a significant reduction in mid-air collisions since we have adopted these programs and this technology on-board commercial aircraft," he said. Forgive us if we think that two close calls in two days isn't the most comforting example of aviation safety in action. 8. NEWS FROM THE JOHANNESBURG AIRPORTS RAND AIRPORT, GERMISTON - www.randairport.co.za Next Safety Meeting will be held on 1st July at 09.00 in the arrivals hall. The Grand Rand Show will be held on 17th August 2014 GRAND CENTRAL AIRPORT, MIDRAND - www.grandcentral.co.za Next Safety Meeting will be held on 1st July at 12.00 in the Board Room LANSERIA AIRPORT - www.lanseriaairport.co.za Next Safety, Security and Stakeholders Meeting will be held on 10th June at 12.00 in the LIA Training School 9. COMMERCIAL AIRPORT AND AIRLINE NEWS Bombardier has grounded the CSeries flight test program while it investigates an engine failure that occurred May 29 on flight test aircraft FTV1 during ground testing. While Bombardier has confirmed "an engine-related incident. Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) confirmed in a statement that "a Bombardier CS100 aircraft experienced an engine failure during ground testing." TSB has dispatched an investigator to Bombardier's facility in Mirabel, Quebec, where the engine failure occurred. The CSeries is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan (GTF) engines. Pratt spokesman Ray Hernandez told ATW that Pratt "is working with Bombardier to understand the incident that occurred on May 29. At this time, it is premature to discuss the incident in detail." Bombardier said in a statement that "the CSeries aircraft flight test program will resume once the investigation [into the engine failure] is completed." Entry into service for the CSeries has already been to the second half of 2015. It is unclear how the May 29 engine failure will affect that timeline. The CSeries is the first application for GTF engines are also slated to power the Airbus A320neo, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. MRJ, Embraer E-Jet E2 and Irkut MC-21. Briefing reporters last week at Pratt's headquarters in East Hartford, Connecticut, Pratt president Paul Adams said the CSeries "and the engines are doing extremely well" in flight testing. There was an apparently minor incident with a GTF engine flying on Pratt's Boeing 747SP flying test-bed aircraft on April 29. "That April 29 incident in Mirabel was a minor anomaly with a test engine, which is common during flight testing," Hernandez said. "Examination of that engine revealed that there was no apparent damage and we were able to run it again the next day. 10. SAAFA RACE DAY AT TURFFONTEIN - 17 MAY 2014 A super day was had by all who attended the SAAFA Race Day. Once again Global Aviation Consultants sponsored race 8 which for those who know anything about horse racing is a divided handicap race for fillies and mares. The proceeds from this fun day go towards supporting the retired SAAF Members and their spouses. Should you wish to make a donation to this more than worthy cause then please pay it (via EFT or as a deposit) into; Standard Bank Bedford Gardens; Bank Code 018 305; Account Name: SA Air Force Association (JHB Branch); Account Number: 022 605 568. You may use either your Company or Individual name along with the word donation as the reference. 11. FINALE Following a recent part 139 Aerodrome Inspection by the SA CAA during which they noted that persons on airside were not all wearing high visibility PPE. The upshot of this was the issuance of a finding against the aerodrome operator as under Part 139 Regulation they have to ensure that everyone on airside wears high visibility PPE. This is now being escalated in-house to the Enforcement Department with the anticipated outcome of fines being levied on the employer of the staff member who has been found not to be complying with the legislation. SITUATIONS VACANT. If you are interested and qualified please send your CV to global@gaconsultants.net Part Time Consultant Air Safety Officers required who comply with the requirements of SA CARS Part 135, Part 121, Part 127, Part 140, Part 141 and Part 145 - must have had appropriate SMS training, previous experience and preferably been approved by the South African Air Services Licencing Council. Part Time Quality Assurance Consultants required who are appropriately qualified and comply with the requirements of Part 135, Part 121, Part 127, Part 140, Part 141 and Part 145. Part Time Aviation Security Consult required who is appropriately qualified for RSA and International Operations Can we help you with your aviation safety and / or quality requirements? Under SA CAR 140.01.2 if you and your organisation hold one of the following Q a category 4 or higher aerodrome licence; Q an ATO approval; Q an aircraft maintenance organisation approval; Q a manufacturing organisation approval ; Q an ATSU approval; Q a design organisation approval; Q an AOC issued in terms of Part 121, 127, 135, 141; Q a procedure design organisation approval; and Q an electronic services organisation approval, then you shall establish a Safety Management System for the control and supervision of the services rendered or to be rendered by that organisation. If you do not already have an approved Air Safety Officer and an approved Safety Management System then please contact us for assistance. We, at global aviation consultants, deliver the following SA CAA Approved training courses for Air Safety Officers at Rand Airport; Q Safety Management Systems Q Integrated Safety Officer Course Q Quality Assurance Auditor Q Crew Resource Management (Initial and Recurrent) Q Dangerous Goods Q Human Factors for AME's Should your operation be of a size whereby the full time employment of an Air Safety Officer and/or Quality Assurance Officer is not financially viable then we can provide you with Consultants who have previously held Air Services Licensing Council approval. We can also provide you with a tailor made SA CAA approved Safety Management System. For further information on how we can help you please contact Rethea or Candice in Hanger 6, Rand Airport, Germiston on 011-024--5446/7 or e-mail global@gaconsultants.net Global Aviation Consultants accepts no liability for the content of this email, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided, unless that information is subsequently confirmed in writing. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited. |
            |
 |
 |
Copyright © Pilot's Post PTY Ltd
The information, views and opinions by the authors contributing to Pilot's Post are not necessarily those of the editor or other writers at Pilot's Post.